This week, catch some of the gems of the recent Singapore Art Week such as SG Ceramics Now, which promises a modern take on the age-old medium of ceramics. Gallery Ota Fine Arts stages Yayoi Kusama’s first solo show in Singapore since her 2017 retrospective while there are plenty of good films to keep you entertained this long weekend at The Projector.
If Chinese New Year and Valentine’s aren’t your thing, The Projector has a gamut of options to keep you entertained. First up: Eat Drink Man Woman (pictured here) by Ang Lee. One of the auteur’s earlier works, this 1994 comedy-drama focuses on how food connects different generations. The story is centred around a family headed by semi-retired master chef Chu, whose three unmarried daughters are starting to move out of traditional family values into their own lives. Chu cooks an elaborate feast every weekend which serves as an anchor of sorts to the changing family dynamics.
For fashion fans, there are also two rare screenings of the ’50s classic Funny Face (1957), led of course by Audrey Hepburn, who transforms from a shy, bookstore assistant into an unexpected model in Paris. There’s also a sneak preview of the acclaimed drama Supernova (2020) which takes a more unusual approach to lensing the lives of queer couples – here, the story focuses on the struggles faced by a middle-aged gay couple (played by Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci), as one of them is diagnosed with early-onset dementia.
Various dates and times at The Projector, #05-00 Golden Mile Tower
Ceramics has been enjoying a renaissance in recent years and one of the highlights of the recent Singapore Art Week is the inaugural SG Ceramics Now show, where works by 19 Singapore-based artists are on display. It’s meant to be a contemporary exploration of what ceramics can be beyond its traditional applications and having checked out the show in person, we can safely say that it presents a variety of surprising ideas, such as this ephemeral installation by young rising artist Tan Shao Qi. The show closes this weekend, so make sure to head down to catch this gem.
On now till February 13 at Block 7, Gillman Barracks
And if you’re already in the Gillman Barracks area, make sure to check out Ota Fine Arts. The gallery is putting on Yayoi Kusama’s first solo show in Singapore since her blockbuster retrospective back in 2017 at National Gallery Singapore. Titled Yayoi Kusama: Recent Paintings, it features 15 paintings created by the 91-year-old artist in recent years that is meant to be a continuation of her signature My Eternal Soul series.
Unlike the other brightly coloured works in this series, the new ones are all rendered in black and white, enveloping her trademark motifs such as biomorphic shapes, eyes, faces and dots and giving them a new outlook. The other highlight of this exhibition is Clouds (pictured here) – a series of cloud-shaped sculptures that dot the gallery floor, crafted out of stainless steel, meant to reinforce and draw out the organic lines used in her paintings for an immersive experience.
On now till March 6 (closed on Feb 12 and 13) at Ota Fine Arts, Block 7, Gillman Barracks